Indiana football has murky QB situation after beating Minnesota

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti didn't offer any insight into starting quarterback Josh Hoover's status after a 23-16 overtime win over Minnesota Saturday, Oct. 31.With IU trailing 10-7, Cignetti decided at halftime to replace Hoover with backup Grant Wilson. Hoover was shaken up on a late hit from Zack Harden after throwing an interception in the final seconds of the half, but made it back to the sideline under his own power. He came into the game dealing with an injury he suffered to his throwing arm against Ohio State. When asked about the quarterback change after the game, Cignetti didn't specify if his decision was injury related or not. "Josh obviously took that hit, so I can't remember the exact moment I made my mind up," Cignetti said about making the change. "Grant did a nice job."More: 'That was a shock.' Indiana football's defense locks down Minnesota without key starterAccording to Wilson, Cignetti simply told him to get ready to go into the game at halftime. Cignetti followed that up with a general announcement to the team that was just as brief. "He just told me that was my number was being called," Wilson said. Just a week ago, Cignetti faced a nearly identical situation going into halftime of a 13-6 win over Michigan with the defense playing lights out and offense struggling to move the ball. He considered replacing Hoover at halftime against the Wolverines, but ultimately opted against it. Indiana's offense didn't look much better through two quarters against Minnesota. The Hoosiers had three three-and-outs in the first half, only had one possession go for more than 40 yards and were 0 for 6 on third down attempts. Cignetti made the change this time with IU once again struggling to get into a rhythm."The offense was not so good and sort of frazzled," Cignetti said. Wilson made the plays he needed to down the stretch to force overtime and help Indiana pull out a win ahead of a much-needed off week. The time off will give Cignetti time to sort through his quarterback situation and allow Hoover time to heal up. "We played nine straight," Cignetti said. "It will be great to have an open week, get everybody refreshed and sort of revitalized."Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek.This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football has murky QB situation after beating Minnesota